Sponsor a seal and help the high numbers in our care

Could you sponsor a seal's rehabilitation?

Common seal pup in pool at East Winch Wildlife Centre © Andrew Forsyth / RSPCA Photolibrary

27.01.12

With over 50 seals currently being cared for by our wildlife centre in Norfolk we’re appealing for supporters to sponsor a seal’s rehabilitation.

Staff at East Winch Wildlife Centre in King's Lynn, Norfolk are working hard, and sometimes late into the night, to cope with the unusually high number of seals currently in their care.

High number of seal admissions

During the stormy weather at the beginning of the year 24 seal pups were admitted to our East Winch Wildlife Centre.

Even as the weather has become milder, seals are continuing to arrive at the already busy wildlife centre. Wildlife centre manager, Alison Charles said:

We’re seeing an unusually high number of quite sick common seals.

In previous years we wouldn’t see many of them at this time of year at all. Now it seems like we’re taking in common seal pups all year round!

Mostly the common seal pups arriving are around six-months old, emaciated and suffering with lung-worm.

This is in addition to the grey seal pups that we expect to come in during the winter months.

When the pups are really small and delicate, staff will often stay until 11 or 12 o’clock at night to give them a late feed.

Help us rehabilitate poorly seals

It takes approximately four to five months of continuous care for a seal pup to reach a healthy release weight.

With 52 seals already in the centre’s care and another two due to arrive later today the centre is fast reaching capacity. And, the high number of seals in the centre’s care is putting a very real strain on resources.

Alison continued:

The public have been fantastic at bringing in towels and blankets. But what we really need now is for sponsors to help us pay for veterinary treatment and to feed all the hungry mouths.